Organizing Blog

Home Organization Tips: Your Jumpstart to Getting On Track

This October 31, watch your kids as they instinctively use the S.T.E.P.S of the Major Mom Method™ to organize their Halloween treats. The Major Mom Method™ uses five simple steps to complete any organizing project. S.T.E.P.S. is an acronym that stands for Sort, Treasure, Establish Homes/Systems, Plan Your Containers, and Start New Habits.

One of the most useful tools for creating order from a chaotic calendar is a family contract - a written, signed agreement between parent(s) and child(ren) that outlines specific expectations and tasks to be completed, as well as consequences for failing to uphold those responsibilities.

Virtual organizing is similar to a traditional organizing session; however, instead of meeting face-to-face, organizer and client work together via mobile device or webcam. Clients fitting the profile for virtual organizing are those with some organizing skills who are simply stuck on a project, or need professional guidance to repurpose a specific space in their home or office.

Almost every business has some kind of loyalty program or gift card to offer, but keeping track of all those cards can be a hassle. The Major Mom Method™ can be applied to anything needing organization, even a small category of items, such as loyalty and gift cards.

Moving is one of the most exciting, yet challenging, times in a person’s life. It signifies change and new opportunity. And yet, most of us approach moving with dread. We look around our crowded rooms, peer into the abysses of our closets, and think “How will I ever move it all?”

On Friday, February 5, Major Mom Founder and CEO, Angela Cody-Rouget, will appear on ABC’s Shark Tank . It is an opportunity that the team has prayed for over the years; a chance to share Major Mom’s mission and talent with the world (Shark Tank averages 6.9 million viewers, according to Variety, November 2015).

Most people feel discouraged by their garages at some point, and considering all the things that garages hold-seasonal gear, recreation equipment, tools, toys, pantry overflow, gardening supplies, auto accessories, and more-it is no wonder why! A warm summer day or weekend is a great time to clear out your garage and finally get it organized. Here are eight tips to help your project be successful.

The average child gets about 70 toys a year. Surprised? It's not just children who are dealing with incoming things. Many adults feel that they are suffering from "possession overload," the problem of dealing with too much stuff--where they feel their life is taken up by maintaining and caring for things instead of people. Do you feel that way, too? (stats from Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic)

It would be so convenient if all mothers and daughters were born with the “organizing gene”. The reality is, only 10% of humans are born with the innate ability to create systems and maintain them. You know if you were born with the “organizing gene” because you tell stories of how you organized your brothers and sisters closets as well as mom’s kitchen drawers… at age 6! If you find yourself itching to organize a friend’s pantry or help them with their office, you know you have the “organizing gene”. However, the “organizing gene” is not the same gene as the “cleaning gene”. For example, I came out of the womb craving order and systems in my life. I love decluttering, creating systems and maintaining order. I do not like cleaning! I do it reluctantly. I have some friends and family members that clean like there is no tomorrow, but they can never find anything because they use a plethora of stash and dash boxes that get shoved in closets, under beds and the basement.

Did you know that 25% of people with 2-car garages do not park any cars in them because there is no room? Only 32% of people can get one car in their 2-car garage! (U.S. Dept. of Energy) Wouldn’t it feel amazing to pull into your garage and love what you see?

I recently had the amazing, life-changing opportunity to organize the office Chanda Hinton, Founder of The Chanda Plan Foundation. (www.TheChandaPlan.org). Chanda is wheelchair bound and has limited use of her hands. She has a pinch function with her left hand and can shove with her right hand. I had never organized for someone with a disability and I was very dedicated to ensure I presented her with solutions that would be long lasting and welcomed.

Have you ever bought a card for a friend or loved one with the best intention of sending it to them for a special occasion? Then months (or years!) later you find that special card. You think to yourself, "If only I were more organized...." Well, you're in luck! Major Mom has ideas on organizing greeting cards so you do not forget those important occasions or miss opportunities to send those spur of the moment cards.

I have been working with a family who has strong sentimental ties to their things. Surprised? Of course you’re not. This is very common and as a professional organizer, I get to help families work through this all the time. Most likely there are things in your home that you have strong sentimental ties to as well. These items may remind you of a special loved one who has passed away, of a time in your life when you felt successful, of a happy memory from a trip you took. We all keep things that are special to us. The challenge is when you’ve collected more things than you have room for.

At Major Mom, we are passionate about restoring order and serenity to your home. We want families to experience the joy of living and working in organized environments. Our solutions are customized, achievable, and sustainable for all rooms in your home. Today we are talking about laundry rooms. In just saying the words “laundry room,” emotions are triggered.

No doubt the place you leave and the place you are going will not be exactly the same. This means that you will need to put some careful thought into the moving process. You may not feel as though you have the time to spare, but relocating in a chaotic way can negatively impact you and your family in four major ways.

We are now well into summer and many families are planning summer road trips. They are a great way to save a little money while spending quality time with your family. However, if you’ve failed to organize it properly you may find you’re the time a little less than enjoyable. Here are some tips on keeping your family road trip a happy and safe one.

With a new school year fast approaching, now is a perfect time to get your family’s drop zone in order. A drop zone is the place in your home where coats, backpacks, shoes and homework are picked up and dropped off each day.

With a new school year fast approaching, now is a perfect time to get your family’s drop zone in order. A drop zone is the place in your home where coats, backpacks, shoes and homework are picked up and dropped off each day.

We are now well into summer and many families are planning summer road trips. They are a great way to save a little money while spending quality time with your family. However, if you’ve failed to organize it properly you may find it a little less than enjoyable. Here are some tips on keeping your family road trip a happy and safe one.

The temperature outside is heating up. June is a great time to organize your car for summer ballgames, road trips, and changes in family schedules. This month we share how to get your car "clutter free."

For many of us the thought of living in a studio apartment, the approximate equivalent of 400 sq ft of space is simply ridiculous! Impossible! Out of the question! For others, including myself, it is simply home.

You have applied the Major Mom Method. You have pictured it, planned it and completed each of the STEPS– Sorted, Treasured, Established Homes, Planned Containers and Started New Habits. There is a place for everything and at last, everything is in its place. It feels great, but you can’t help wonder, how long will this last? Maybe you have done this all before and are frustrated by having your efforts come “undone.” There is some glue you should add to those new habits that will help your organized picture to stay together.

Do your linens topple over on you every time you reach for a towel? Do you avoid changing the sheets on the beds because it takes 45 minutes to find all the pieces of the sheet set? What do your guests see when they open the door to the linen closet?

There are many roadblocks when attempting to lose weight. Most roadblocks we’re aware of like eating healthy and exercising. Some we may not realize are a roadblock, like disorganization. It can be near impossible to lose weight when you are disorganized. Having an organized weight loss plan can be achieved using the Major Mom Method. Although the method was developed for use in organizing your home it can also be applied to organizing the weight loss process!

Are you tired of being stressed out every time you get in your car? Are your frustrations growing because you're always driving or riding in a messy or cluttered car? Have you found yourself in a situation where you need a simple item immediately, but you just don't have it with you or can't remember where you put it? If your family is like mine (young, active and always on the go) a disorganized car can easily become an unnecessary challenge and source of repeated confusion, especially if your car is also the family car.

Did you know that 25% of people with 2-car garages do not park any cars in them because there is no room? Only 32% of people can get one car in their 2-car garage! (U.S. Dept. of Energy) Wouldn’t it feel amazing to pull into your garage and love what you see?

Having to downsize is never easy, as it usually comes with the stress of a life transition such as changing careers, kids moving on, or elderly parents needing to be relocated. Learning to let go of non-essentials can be challenging, so we've prepared a few tips to help you with the process. Although downsizing can be a challenge, it can also be amazing to experience life without all those things you thought you couldn't "live without."

Did you know that 25% of people with 2-car garages do not park any cars in them because there is no room? Only 32% of people can get one car in their 2-car garage! (U.S. Dept. of Energy) Wouldn’t it feel amazing to pull into your garage and love what you see?

Oftentimes the laundry room is expected to deliver more than it can provide. The home layout can have the laundry as a mudroom or a main entry into the home from the garage. It ends up being a catch-all or a place to stash items when guests come over. Even if the laundry is in the hallway, bathroom, or the basement, we find ways to stuff more than it can handle in its limited space. Therefore, it ends up having way too many demands on the room.

Have you ever taken a family road trip and once you got home you thought to yourself, "I will never do that again!!!!" Hopefully you can take a few of my live-and-learn travel tips to help you plan ahead and make your trip a smooth ride for you and your family.

If your youngest child is preparing to leave for college, chances are you may be feeling uncertain about the future. I suppose that just as a new mother has the urge to nest, a retiring mother has the urge to de-clutter the nest. As I found out, however, frantically purging is a response triggered by stress.

It's not just children who are dealing with "possession overload." If you regularly find yourself giving more of your time to cleaning and caring for your house than spending time with the people in your house, it's time to approach this holiday season differently!

What do you do with all the stuff that is too good to throw out or you would like to find a worthy cause to give them to? Many Major Mom clients express that they want to give their items away to someone who will USE IT. Some just don't want the items to end up in a landfill, and some items like oil and batteries can't be sent to a landfill.

The man is the designated priest of the household and is responsible for the spiritual journey of his household. However, the woman is responsible to ensure the household is run effectively and efficiently. I urge you to have the strength to take charge of your household. No matter what stage you are in life, you are the Chief Operations Officer of your household.

Just as closets are an extension of how we look every day, our computers are oftentimes an extension of how fast, efficiently, and effectively we work on a daily basis. Disorganized computer files can initiate stress, anxiety, and too often the wasting of valuable time.

Anyone who has heard a Major Mom presentation has heard that one of the best ways to have a clutter-free home is to "Stop the incoming." But what exactly does "Stop the incoming!" mean and how do you do it?

Another busy Wednesday evening is ahead and it's already 5:15pm. Jack needs to leave for soccer practice by 6:30, and Missy needs dropped off at gymnastics at 7:00. You just got home, dad is on his way and everyone is STARVING! Time is short, demands are high. Pizza is an easy option, but you had that two times in the last week. Besides, you prefer to provide healthier options for your family.

We all experience situational disorganization due to life transitions such as a relocation, a new baby, an adult child moving back home, marriage or divorce. However, if you are living in a state of chaos for a prolonged period of time, your environment will take a toll on your emotions.

Have you ever rushed out the door for a doctor appointment and forgotten where you put your medications list? Do you know where all your kids' immunization records are located? Do you have every allergy memorized for all of your family members?

Cooking and baking in your kitchen brings warmth into the heart of your home; but what if your kitchen is a stressful place to be? Often, this is the dumping ground for mail, bills, work, and miscellaneous items. Along with this chaos, there may not be proper systems in place to make cooking and baking enjoyable. So, how do you make one of the most important rooms in your house a peaceful place for your family and friends to gather?

Before you start cleaning out your desk you need to determine what you want your desk to be and how it will serve you in the coming year. Make a list of the purposes your desk will serve for you and your family. For some it is a fun place to sit and check email or update your status on Facebook. For others it is a place where you sit most of the day and work while throwing a little bit of fun in! And finally, some play games, do homework or even shop. You need to decide your purpose first.

Can you believe it? More is coming. This is the perfect time to do the "pre-Christmas purge." There are so many opportunities to bless others with our unwanted items. Purging now can take the stress out of what is to come. Here are some tips to help you let go of the old and make room for the new!

Memories . . .they are a part of who we are. We take pictures of those special moments, we keep ticket stubs, maps, "A" papers our kids bring home . . . memories are important to us. We tell stories to each other about memories from our past not only verbally but through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The older we get the more memories we accumulate. How do we manage all those memories and memorabilia?

If you're struggling with paper in your home or office you are not alone! Paper clutter ranks as one of the top complaints Major Mom Liberators tackle with clients. Paper management can be daunting and very overwhelming. So many people feel they are drowning in paper piles!

Most households have the Someday Stash--items stored in closets, stashed in basements, and stagnantly sitting in garages for "someday." How do you decide what to keep and what to let go of when sorting through those items?

Did you know that the average American wears 20% of their clothes 80% of the time? Our closets are full of items that we do not wear, need, that do not fit, or in some cases we don't even know we have! All that money spent on clothes we don't wear could have been spent on something we do need and will use!

When trying to organize your home it is common to justify bringing in even more stuff by way of organization supplies.The intention with these items is always to become more organized, but often these supplies are purchased with little thought to how we actually plan to use them. Oftentimes we find that the supplies' intended purposes do not work the way we expected them to. We try to force ourselves to use the product but eventually give up. The products begin to gather dust along with the items we failed to organize. This is a waste of money and of precious space.

When you think of " back to school," you think of routines, schedules, and of course, the endless list of supplies and or textbooks. With some planning, the start of the school year can be less stressful and easier on your pockets.

Do you ever find yourself looking around your home and feel like things are not getting put away, or you're not even sure where they're supposed to go in the first place? The piles and stacks seem to build right along with your frustration, don't they! Don't worry, you are not alone! We hear this from our clients every day.

Downsizing is not easy and usually comes with stressful life transitions like changing careers, kids moving on, or relocating. Learning to let go of non-essentials can be challenging, but can also be liberating. Imagine experiencing life without all the things you own, owning you! This is an opportunity for a fresh start. Here are some tips to help you navigate this process.

It’s important that an individual never acts on the urge to organize or dispose of their spouse’s possessions. The number one rule in couple organization is to respect each others stuff. Begin instead by sitting down and making a few up front decisions about your space. Determine each space that needs to be addressed. Many couples argue over the garage, the entryway or mudroom, or the mail in the paper drop zone. Make a list of each of your problem areas and address each in turn.

Although I usually recommend organizing one space in your home at a time, I am going to make an exception to that rule. Most likely your biggest nemesis in organizing your home is paper! At first it may seem innocent with one receipt here or one permission slip there. But before you know it, paper multiplies itself by the hundreds and overtakes your home like the infamous “blob” from a sci-fi movie. And because paper has most likely spread itself into every nook and cranny of your home, we are going to tackle this wild beast first.

I have a friend who recently became an “empty nester.” As the days to her youngest child’s graduation approached, she found herself frantically purging everything in her home. Her family looked at her as if she had gone crazy as load after load of their “stuff” was piled up on the sidewalk waiting for the donation truck to arrive.

Most of us celebrate the holidays the same way every year. The rituals of shopping, gift giving, holiday cards, decorating, baking, parties and visits to family near and far are a non-stop, high-speed dash through the holiday season. We hope to fit everything in before New Year’s Day arrives – and if we don’t … we continue these rituals into January! It is ABSOLUTELY OK to simplify your holidays so you have more time to enjoy them!

When you begin to organize your closet, you must first decide what function(s) it will serve. It sounds silly, but will it serve a purpose for anything other than storing clothing? Perhaps you have space in your closet to hide gifts for your children. If so, work that into you vision and plan. Remove anything from your closet that does not fit the new vision.

It may not seem like a big deal, but think about how much time is wasted just looking for files, or having to recreate files that were accidentally deleted because you did not have a process in place for sorting and deleting old, unnecessary files.

Before you start organizing, allow yourself to dream and visualize how the space or room will serve your current and future needs. What functions should it serve? Determine what works well now and what doesn’t work well. Try to articulate why things are or are not working.

Babies are precious little bundles that we are so eager to welcome into our lives and our homes. Oh, but little babies also come with loads of gear—furniture, toys, and gadgets galore! How do you keep from getting overwhelmed by all the stuff?

Organization is a critical life skill. As children get older, schools, teachers and we, their parents, expect more from them in terms of organization and responsibility. Teaching children to manage their homework – managing a calendar, reassembling notes, preparing for tests – is a life skill that will serve them long after they stop needing you to sign their permission forms and check their math. In order to help children learn how to organize and maintain a system, let’s apply the Major Mom Method to your student’s home office – the homework station.

To accomplish this goal we are going to take you through our step by step organizing process on how to organize the garage. First you need to assess your garage. Other than your vehicles what would you like to store in your space? Do you have gardening supplies, sporting equipment or tools that call your garage home?

Don’t want to spend the money to straighten up the mess? No need, you can reuse everyday items such as empty toilet paper rolls, binder clips and even bread bag ties to help get that mess of cables organized and looking good.

Back to school time is quickly approaching! Children's schedules become busier, meaning there are more demands on parents' schedules. Oh, and remember all those papers that go along with school? Are you beginning to feel anxious knowing this time is near once again? Having systems in place for paper, homework, communication, and schedules can keep the stress that comes along with the school year to a minimum.

Did you know that only 10% of people are born with the organizing “gene?”
The Liberators of Major Organizers were not only blessed with the gift of organizing, they are also passionate about helping others conquer clutter, chaos and disorganization. But how do you turn genetics and passion into an organizing career?

Certified Professional Organizer and Liberator Wendy Ahrens is a whiz at decluttering and storage solutions, but did you know that she's also a whiz at pop culture? Read on to learn more about Wendy, including what snakes have to do with her current organizing project.